State Rep. González appointed to NADBank board

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — Texas state Rep. Mary E. González, D-Clint, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the Board of Directors for the North American Development Bank or NADBank, her office announced this week.

NADBank is a binational financial organization that invests in water, environmental and energy projects in the United States and Mexico and was established in 1994 as an extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Its mission is to “enhance, protect and advance the well-being of the people of the U.S. and Mexico in the border region,” according to a release sent out by Gonzalez’s office.

“Providing safe, livable conditions including clean water to those along the border has been the
foundation of my legislative service. Clean water is vital to life. It lifts people up and improves the health and well-being of our community,” González said. “It is a great honor to be appointed
to the NADBank board and to serve the people of El Paso, Texas, the United States and Mexico.”

About three years ago, NADBank administered a $23 million loan to the Lower Valley
Water District in Clint to expand and improve existing waterlines and wastewater collection for
more than 9,000 residents in unincorporated parts of El Paso County, including the
Cuadrilla subdivision, González’s office said.

Last year, a NADBank helped finance a project in the Village of Vinton which provided safe and reliable drinking water to 1,500 residents, her office added.

“NADBank has been doing work along the border for 30 years, and has made tremendous strides in aiding cities, counties, and states complete critical projects. But, without NADBank financing communities could not afford build the projects that greatly improve lives,” González said. “As far back as 1997, El Paso and Juarez were part of the first dozen projects NADBank financed. In the El Paso area, 47,000 people, including many who live in colonias, have benefitted from the expansion of the Rogers Water Treatment Plant. In Juarez, 1.3 million people live better lives as new sewers and sewage treatment plants were built, greatly curtailing the dumping of raw sewage into the Rio Grande.”

NADBank is authorized to serve communities located within 100 km (about 62 miles) north of the international boundary in the four states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California and within 300 km (about 186 miles) south of the border in the six states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California, according to the bank’s website.

Other U.S. members on the NADBank Board include U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

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